katie.r Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) I only joined the site a few days ago so I'm starting halfway through the year, but ah well! I really just wanted to start this list so I can keep count of how many books I'm reading and perhaps to jot down some thoughts about each of them. June: The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard Currently Reading: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov Books to Read: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Emma by Jane Austen A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov On The Road by Jack Kerouac Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro House of Silence by Linda Gillard Edited June 17, 2011 by katie.r Quote
katie.r Posted June 13, 2011 Author Posted June 13, 2011 The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald I really enjoy reading books set in this era (the 20's) and this was definitely no exception. I found the storyline to be well paced and by the end I truly cared about the characters, my feelings towards Gatsby in particular changed so much throughout the book. It was quite a quick read and I found the ending to be satisfying (though my boyfriend read it just before me and thought the ending felt rushed). I would read the book again, perhaps not for a while, and probably take even more from it the second time. Quote
katie.r Posted June 13, 2011 Author Posted June 13, 2011 The Secret History by Donna Tartt This has shot straight up to being my favourite book. I think it is quite incredible that the author can share with us in the preface that a character has been killed, and even who killed them, yet still leave me itching to read more. I literally did not put this book down, it completely gripped me right from the start and had me hooked every step of the way. I felt like I got to know each of the characters intimately, and however insane and out of control their actions became, I completely understood why they were doing what they were. The amount of detail in the book was really interesting too, especially some of the Greek and Latin phrases - I found myself doing a lot of googling to understand them but I'm glad I did as they were important to the story. Overall a really thrilling read and one I'd love to read again. Quote
Kylie Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Emma by Jane Austen A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov On The Road by Jack Kerouac Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Oh my gosh, you have so many great reads ahead of you! The above are all among my very favourite books of all time. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. I really should get around to reading The Secret History. I've heard nothing but great things about it. Edited June 13, 2011 by Kylie Quote
Easy Reader Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Someone asked me the other day if I had read The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald (I haven't) and I thought I don't even know what its about which is unusal as you normally know roughly what the classics are about. Now I feel fate is telling me I should read it. Quote
Sofia Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 I think I am the only one who didn't care much for The Secret History. And I can't even really say why :/. I just couldn't get hooked on it and I thought it was way too long...that being said, I do have her other book, The Little Friend and will give that a try anyway. P.s. Please don't let my opinion discourage you from reading it katie....majority loved it and you have some great books to read, I've read most and you're in for some treats Quote
frankie Posted June 15, 2011 Posted June 15, 2011 Oh my goodness Katie, you have some excellent books! Each and every title on your list is either a book that I've read (and liked!), or have on my to-be-read pile, or on my wishlist!! I swear, that's never happened before! I hope you have a great reading year, enjoy! Quote
poppyshake Posted June 16, 2011 Posted June 16, 2011 Oh my goodness Katie, you have some excellent books! Each and every title on your list is either a book that I've read (and liked!), or have on my to-be-read pile, or on my wishlist!! I swear, that's never happened before! I hope you have a great reading year, enjoy! Loving your booklist Katie, and your reviews. Agree with everything you said about 'The Secret History'. I haven't read 'The Great Gatsby' yet but want too soon. Quote
Ben Posted June 16, 2011 Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Some truly fantastic books on your list, Katie, you're in for an absolute treat. From the list, although it is hard to pick a favourite as I haven't read them all, I'd have to implore you to pick up A Clockwork Orange sooner rather than later. The language is sometimes a little difficult but I don't feel it distracts at all from what is a sensational novel which captured me entirely and made me unable to put it down. Apparently the film is somewhat graphic and puts people off, but I found the book to be brilliant when I read it earlier this year; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Edited June 18, 2011 by Ben Quote
katie.r Posted June 17, 2011 Author Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) Thanks for your replies everyone, you've all got me so excited about reading these books! On a slight tangent from my TBR list (does anyone actually stick to those?!), I picked up Linda Gillard's Emotional Geology for just £1.90 on my Kindle! Couldn't resist reading it after seeing some of the reviews on here and I'm glad I did! Although the characters were living a completely different life to one I am familiar with, being much older and with real issues haunting them, I found myself connecting with them completely. The island of North Uist was described so beautifully that I'm now planning how on earth I can afford to take a trip there from my dreary home in South London! The story had me sobbing uncontrollably at times, and I rarely cry at books. I've just bought House of Silence and I'm looking forward to reading her others! And Ben, A Clockwork Orange is now top of my list, I'm going to start reading tonight! I held off watching the film because I always like to read the book first so I can imagine the characters for myself. I've heard the film is a bit intense though! Edited June 17, 2011 by katie.r Quote
I'mRose Posted June 18, 2011 Posted June 18, 2011 I only joined the site a few days ago so I'm starting halfway through the year, but ah well! I really just wanted to start this list so I can keep count of how many books I'm reading and perhaps to jot down some thoughts about each of them. June: The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard Currently Reading: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov Books to Read: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Emma by Jane Austen A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov On The Road by Jack Kerouac Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro House of Silence by Linda Gillard You have so many great books ahead of you! I really enjoyed Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar On the Road and Lovely Bones. I also have To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Expectations and Anna Karenina on my TBR list. Looking forward to seeing what you think of them! Quote
Linda Gillard Posted June 18, 2011 Posted June 18, 2011 I just caught up with this, Katie. I'm the author of EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY. Glad you enjoyed it. (Sorry about the "sobbing uncontrollably" bit though! HOUSE OF SILENCE is more cheerful.) North Uist is a very magical place and the Hebrides are highly addictive. (Be warned!) If you want to get there cheaply, consider the sit-up-all-night seats on the sleeper to Inverness. That's a cheap way to travel if you can sleep in a train seat. But Inverness is still a long way from Uist. There's a coach from Inverness to Uig on Skye and then you can get the ferry across. It's a fabulous trip and you won't want to blink in case you miss a thing. The fast way to get there is to fly from Glasgow to Benbecula, but you'd miss a lot of amazing scenery. Have you looked at the links on my website? Quote
Ben Posted June 18, 2011 Posted June 18, 2011 And Ben, A Clockwork Orange is now top of my list, I'm going to start reading tonight! I held off watching the film because I always like to read the book first so I can imagine the characters for myself. I've heard the film is a bit intense though! I haven't seen it but apparently it is, yes. I usually enjoy the novel as opposed to the film though, and it would have to go some to be better than the novel. Let me know how you get on with it, though, I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Quote
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